The Olive Tree Cafe and Catering owner Michael Jarrouj draws on his upbringing for the restaurant’s eclectic and Mediterranean inspired menu. Growing up in a Syrian and Carribean family, he credits his grandparents, who owned a restaurant and loved to cook, with sparking his own culinary flame.
“My grandmother was incredible, and she was really an inspiration to me,” Jarrouj says.
One time, Jarrouj’s grandmother asked him to whip up a meal fit for an army. Working all day, he prepared stuffed grape leaves, fried kibbeh, hummus, roasted lamb and more.
“At the end of the day, with her beautiful Caribbean-Arabic accent, she called everybody in the family and told them that she made dinner and to come for dinner,” he recalls. “She had this big family event, and I had done the cooking for it.”
While not necessarily getting credit for the meal, Jarrouj held onto this key experience through the years, and he says it was only natural for him to one day venture on his own culinary journey. He put in his time, working his way up from dishwasher to host to server to finally helping in the kitchen.
“It was always in the back of my mind; I’ve always loved and enjoyed the food and beverage business,” Jarrouj says. “I had dabbled in a couple other things before, and then opportunity knocked and we answered the door.”
Opportunity arrived in the form of a restaurant deal falling through for someone else. In 2015, working for a company that designed restaurants, Jarrouj first came to 333 Second Avenue in South Charleston to design the space and complete concept work for another entrepreneur.
While it didn’t end up working out for the client, Jarrouj says the landlord at the time loved the concept and asked him to take over.
“They made me that proverbial offer I couldn’t refuse,” he says.
Originally a fraction of the space it is now, The Olive Tree Cafe and Catering has expanded to an entire building, most recently adding an outdoor dining facility and banquet room.
Catering has been an important part of Jarrouj’s business since the beginning; The Olive Tree offers kosher and halal meals and specializes in Mediterranean, Continental, French and Caribbean catered cuisine.
“Catering has really exploded, and it keeps us busy,” Jarrouj says. “I think those things go hand in hand. It takes a good, solid walk in business and good customer service to introduce you to the people in the community–they get to know you, they want to try you for their events and it just goes from there.”
Featuring only the freshest Mediterranean products and ingredients, each menu item is Jarrouj’s own recipe. When The Olive Tree first opened, Jarrouj was fond of saying they were an old world Philadelphia style deli, serving mostly sandwiches, with some Mediterranean leanings. Since then, the concept has really developed.
“Originally, when you would come in, it was all ‘sandwich-y,’” Jarrouj says. “Of course, we had hummus, feta, olives and stuffed grape leaves, which we can still barely keep in stock, but you would come in, go to the counter, order and sit down.”
Now, there is a full day and evening menu, with entrees ranging from black angus filet; fire roasted chicken; fresh sea scallops; shrimp mahi; thick porterhouse steak; and more. Mediterranean dishes include kafta burgers; chicken wraps; shawarma; stuffed grape leaves; falafel; and classic, roasted red pepper and loaded hummus with tomato, cucumber, kalamata olives, spices and olive oil served with a spinach flatbread, which stemmed from Jarrouj growing bored with how hummus is traditionally prepared.
“We probably sell about 150 pounds of hummus a week,” Jarrouj says.
The Olive Tree Cafe and Catering also features a variety of specials, and its menu has a wide mix of traditional offerings and Jarrouj’s own inventions and takes on the classics.
“Since 2015 we really haven’t taken much off the menu,” Jarrouj says. “When we try to trim down a bit or bring some new items, we’ll do a little special, and it catches on. We try to be all things for all people, but we do specialize in that Mediterranean.”
Adding gyros to the mix took a little bit of convincing, as Jarrouj thought they would take away from the shawarma. But once he put his own spin on it he–and customers–were sold.
Served on fresh 10-inch Syrian bread, gyros are paired perfectly with ruby red Arabic pickles made with beets, turnips and spices–they’re everything you’d expect from a classic Greek gyro but kicked up a notch with Olive Tree habibi sauce, a garlic mayo aioli infused with sumac spice.
“Everything we do, it’s our version,” Jarrouj says.
At The Olive Tree, you can get something a little more continental, like The Legit Reuben, piled high with corned beef, shredded sauerkraut, Russian dressing and served on pumpernickel rye, or The Real Philly on an Amoroso roll with shaved roasted ribeye, a thin band of marinara, grilled onion, picante provolone and cheese whiz–because it’s not a Philly without the whiz, Jarrouj says.
If you still have room for more after a hearty meal, there are many desserts to choose from at The Olive Tree, like the baklava cheesecake bananas foster or the Jersey boardwalk waffle sundae.
“Our desserts are to die for,” Jarrouj says.
With a reputation stemming from its beginnings as a deli, Jarrouj says people may not know The Olive Tree is also now the place to go for entrees and desserts, with an amazing bar serving specialty cocktails and draft beers.
“We’ve got a great place to come out for date night, bring the family, whatever,” Jarrouj says. “Have your appetizers, your mains, your entrees, have a good after dinner drink and dessert. Enjoy!”
While some restaurants may claim to treat customers like family, it’s more than evident here with Jarrouj’s easy going manner, pleasant conversation and personal touch.
“I try to get out here and talk to everybody, even when we’re slammed; when I’m helping in the kitchen, I still try to get a moment to come out and check on everybody because I want to make sure they’re enjoying their experience and that they do feel like family,” Jarrouj says. “Because I think that’s the way to do it. You always hear the term family-run business, and we say we treat you like family, but we really do and that’s what’s fun about it.”
Giving back is also just as important to Jarrouj and everyone at The Olive Tree.
“We love to give back to the community,” Jarrouj says. “We’re embedded in the community, we want to be part of the community, and we want to help out in any way that we can.”
